President Donald Trump has spent much of his second term arguing that the solution to the U.S.’s housing affordability crisis is straightforward: cut government regulations, streamline approvals, and make it easier to build.The administration points to a series of deregulatory actions at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration as evidence that the strategy is already working. But even some conservatives question whether slashing red tape alone can solve a housing crisis decades in the making.Housing affordability remains one of voters’ top economic concerns heading into the 2026 midterm elections. While home prices have cooled from pandemic-era peaks, elevated mortgage rates and years of price appreciation have kept homeownership out of reach for much of the public.
Former Federal Housing Commissioner Frank Cassidy, who recently left his dual roles at the FHA and HUD to return to the commercial mortgage banking industry, argues the administration’s approach is already producing results.
“I think President Trump brings a unique role,” Cassidy said. “He understands housing, he understands real estate, he’s a builder, he understands development.”
